Systems and Methods for Validating RFID Tag Data Prior to Writing Into RFID Tag

ABSTRACT

The present invention is generally directed to systems and methods for validating RFID tag data prior to encoding the data onto an RFID tag, utilizing at least one computing device separate from an RFID encoder. An embodiment of the present invention describes a method of receiving RFID tag data at a computing device, validating that data in compliance with an RFID format, such as the EPC Global standard, and sending the validated data to an RFID encoder. An alternative embodiment provides a method for receiving RFID tag data at a computing device configured for verifying the data, and if the data is not valid, returning an informative error message to a user indicating the component of the data that was invalid and how the error can be corrected. A further embodiment provides a method for allowing a user to correct the RFID tag data and re-validate the data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/303,486, filed on Dec. 15, 2005, which is hereby incorporated hereinin its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the inventory management, shipping and logistics fields, barcodes aregenerally still the most prevalent way in which items are tagged foridentification and tracking. Among the problems associated with them,barcode labels require that the optical scanner reading them have aclear “line-of-sight” view of the tag being read. This may require thescanner operator to position the scanner with respect to the barcodelabel in a manner that is awkward or may even be impossible dependingupon the location of the tag. For example, if the barcode label to beread is on a box inside of a pallet of boxes, it may not be possible toread the label without disassembling the pallet. Furthermore, barcodelabels can be scraped, marked, or otherwise obscured, rendering themdifficult to read.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is one approach thatcan be used to solve the deficiencies of barcode labels as describedherein. RFID tags do not require “line-of-sight” to read the tag, andthus RFID tags are expected to lead to major efficiencies and reducedcosts for inventory management, shipping and logistics. In addition, in2004, the Department of Defense and major US retailers began to requiretheir vendors to tag items with RFID tags, making it a necessity formany companies to adopt RFID technology in their product and serviceofferings.

The relevant industries generally recognize a distinction betweenread-only RFID tags and writable RFID tags. In the former case, the RFIDtag is manufactured with prestored data, and it cannot be subsequentlymodified. To the contrary, writable RFID tags permit data to be writteninto the RFID tag. The present invention is related to the lattervariety of RFID tag.

At present, it is known that there are RFID printers that have theability to write data into a tag, subsequently read that data, andverify that the RFID tag data was correctly written to the tag by theRFID printer. This form of RFID tag validation ensures that the printerwrote the RFID tag data correctly to the tag. However, it is notgenerally known in these circumstances whether the RFID tag datareceived by the printer was correct in terms of its format and content.Further, RFID printers are not effective devices for interactivelyinforming users of such formatting and content errors, and enablingusers to correct such data errors. An unsatisfied need thus exists forsystems and methods for validating RFID tag data prior to sending thedata to a printer for writing the data into an RFID tag.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide systems and methodsfor validating RFID tag data prior to writing the data into an RFID tag.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a method ofvalidating data to be written into an RFID tag may comprise the stepsof: receiving RFID tag data, determining if the RFID tag data is validby compliance with an RFID format, and if so, transmitting the RFID tagdata to an RFID encoder to encode an RFID tag.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method ofvalidating data to be written into an RFID tag using at least onecomputing device separate from an RFID encoder may comprise the stepsof: receiving RFID tag data; executing an RFID validator object todetermine if the RFID tag data is valid; and if the RFID tag data isdetermined to be valid by the RFID validator object, transmitting theRFID tag data to an RFID encoder for writing the RFID tag data into anRFID tag.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a system forvalidating RFID tag data may comprise: at least one computing devicecomprising a processor and at least one memory connected to theprocessor and configured to store a computer program and an RFIDvalidator object, wherein the computer program is executable by theprocessor to retrieve and assemble a segmented string of RFID tag dataand to pass the segmented string of RFID tag data to the RFID validatorobject, the processor further executing the RFID validator object todetermine whether the segmented string of RFID tag data is valid bycompliance with an RFID format, and if so, to cause the RFID tag datadetermined to be valid to be transmitted from the computing device; andan RFID encoder connected to the computing device to receive the RFIDtag data for encoding an RFID tag with the RFID tag data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an RFID validating system in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram that illustrates a method for gathering RFIDtag data and validating the data.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that illustrates the steps of validating RFIDtag data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some,but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, theinvention may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicablelegal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theinvention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Glossary of Terms

‘Computing device’ broadly refers to any kind of device which receivesinput data, processes that data under a computer instructions in aprogram or object, and generates output data such as a RFID tag data.Such computer can be a hand-held device, laptop computer, desktopcomputer, miniframe, mainframe, server, cell phone, personal digitalassistant, or other device. A ‘computer’ generally includes a processorand a memory, and input and output units with an interface unit enablingconnection to other computers or devices.

‘Connected’ or ‘coupled’ refer to a physical connection between twocomputers permitting communication of data. Two devices can be connecteddirectly together or indirectly through one or more intermediateelements, to permit communication of data/signal from one device to theother. Connection media include wire, optical fiber, or wirelesstransmission media such as air or space, permitting communication ofdata or a signal.

‘Data storage unit’ is any device capable of storing data, includingrandom-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),electrically-erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), hard disk and diskdrives, compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), magnetic tapesand tape drives, optical storage media, quantum memory devices, and anyother device that can be used to store data in readable form.

‘Input device’ can be a keyboard, keypad, mouse, wand, stylus, voicereceiver, or any other device capable of receiving input data from ahuman user.

‘Interface’ can be a network interface card (NIC), a modem, or otherinterface device.

‘Memory’ can be any device capable of storing data, includingrandom-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),electrically-erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), hard disk and diskdrives, compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), magnetic tapesand tape drives, optical storage media, quantum memory devices,holographic memory, and any other device that can be used to store datain readable form.

‘Object’ can be any item capable of being individually selected andmanipulated by a computing device and may consist of both data andprocedures to manipulate the data, and may be part of or independent ofthe computing device.

‘Output device’ can be a display monitor (e.g., CRT or flat paneldisplay), speaker, vibration unit, or any other device that can be usedin a computer to generate a humanly perceptible presentation.

‘Processor’ can be any device capable of receiving, processing, andoutputting data under execution of a computer program or object,including a microprocessor, microcontroller, programmable gate array(PGA), field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmed array logic(PAL), programmable logic array (PLA), or other such device.

‘Server’ is a computer. The term can have a more refined meaning as acomputer that executes a server application responsive to computersexecuting client applications or the like, i.e., client-serverarchitectures.

Overview

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for validatingRFID tag data prior to writing the data into an RFID tag. In one aspect,a system is provided comprising at least one computing device separatefrom an RFID encoder or RFID printer for validating RFID tag data priorto transmitting the data to the RFID encoder or printer for writing thedata into an RFID tag. In another aspect, a method is provided for usingthe system to validate the RFID tag data to be written into an RFID tag.In one embodiment, if the computing device determines the data is valid,the computing device generates a message to a user indicating that thedata is valid. Alternatively, if the computing device determines thedata is not valid, the computing device generates a message indicatingan error in the data. In some embodiments, the generated message furtherindicates to a user how the user can correct the data to produce validRFID tag data.

As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the term “RFID tagdata” can be used to describe both the individual data components thatmake up the segmented string (or URI) which is encoded into an RFID tag,as well as the segmented string itself, which is a concatenation of theindividual data components.

RFID Validation System

In one aspect, a system is provided for validating the RFID tag data incompliance with an RFID format, prior to transmitting the data to anRFID encoder 52. In one embodiment of the present invention, the RFIDformat is the Electronic Product Code (EPC) Global format. Other RFIDformats are discussed below.

An exemplary RFID validating system 1 is shown in FIG. 1. The system 1comprises at least one computing device 10. In the embodiment of FIG. 1,the computing device 10 comprises a processor 18 and a memory 30 whichis configured to store an RFID validator object 40 which is executableby the processor to validate RFID tag data in compliance with an RFIDformat, and a computer program 32. In some embodiments, the computingdevice 10 can also include an interface 12, an input device 14, anoutput device 16, and one or more additional memories 20.

The computer program 32 is configured to receive RFID tag data andformat the data into a segmented string in compliance with an RFIDformat. In order to carry out this function, in the embodiment of FIG.1, the computer program 32 comprises a data collector 34, a data stringassembler 36, an error message generator 37, and an encoder handler 38.The RFID validator object 40 includes a method for validating RFID tagdata, herein referred to as the ValidateURI Method 42.

In one embodiment, the RFID validating system 1 includes a data storageunit 60 separate from the computing device for the purpose of receivingand storing RFID tag data. In another embodiment, the systemadditionally includes a server 62 which is configured to receive RFIDtag data. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the data storage unit 60 and theserver 62 are connected to communicate with the computing device 10 viaa network 64.

The RFID validating system 1 also includes an RFID printer 50, which inone embodiment further includes an RFID encoder 52 for writing RFID tagdata into an RFID tag, and a label printer 54 for printing the tag orlabel. Generally, an RFID printer 50 is a printer that is capable ofencoding RFID tag data into an RFID tag and printing a label whichincludes or embeds the tag. Several companies offer RFID encoders, suchas Printronix®, Inc., Datamax® Corporation, Zebra® TechnologiesCorporation, IBM® Corporation, Paxar® Corporation, Intermec®Technologies Corp., among others. The RFID printer 50 is configured bothto print optically indicia on the label stock as well as to encode thetag in the RFID label stock. The printed and encoded label can beattached to an item for shipment, storage, or tracking, using RFID oroptical readers, for example.

As will be described more fully hereinafter in reference to FIGS. 2 and3, the processor 18 is configured to execute the computer program 32.The data collector 34 retrieves necessary RFID tag data, such as byretrieving information from one or more data storage units 60, or byaccessing one or more other sources via server 62, or both. Uponreceiving the RFID tag data, the data collector 34 passes the RFID tagdata to the data string assembler 36, which concatenates the RFID tagdata into a segmented string that is arranged in compliance with an RFIDformat in terms of the position of the data in the segmented string. Thedata string assembler 36 passes the segmented string as a UniformResource Identifier (URI) encoding to the ValidateURI Method 42 of theRFID validator object 40. If the RFID validator object 40, or morespecifically, the method 42, validates the URI, it passes the validatedURI to the print handler 38 of the computer program 32 which passes thestring to the processor 18. The processor 18 passes the validated RFIDtag data to an RFID encoder 52 for writing the data into an RFID tag. Ifthe RFID validator object 40, or more specifically, the method 42, doesnot validate the data, the RFID validator object passes the invalidatedstring back to the processor 18. In one embodiment, the RFID validatorobject 40 passes the invalidated string to the error message generator37 which generates an error message that indicates why the RFID tag datais not valid. The error message can be sufficiently detailed so as to beinstructive to the user as to what needs to be done to correct the datato be encoded in the tag. The computing device 10 displays this errormessage on the output device 16. In one embodiment, the system isconfigured to allow a user to correct the error using an input device 14which would provide the corrected data to the processor for validation.

RFID Tag Data Validation Methods

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a method of using the RFIDValidation System to validate RFID tag data. FIG. 3 illustrates anembodiment of the steps of using the ValidateURI Method 42 of the RFIDvalidator object 40 for validating RFID tag data.

In one embodiment of the invention, the processor 18 of the computingdevice 10 executes the data collector 34 of the computer program 32 tobegin the RFID validation process. At step 80, the data collector 34collects or gathers RFID tag data from one or several sources.

In one embodiment, RFID tag data includes a company identificationnumber, a product serial number, an object class identifier number,among other data. These data can be components of an RFID segmentedstring, as discussed further below. As shown in step 80 a, the datacollector 34 can gather data that is input by a user or machine, such asvia an input device 14. At step 80 b, the data collector 34 can gather acompany identification number (shown in FIG. 2 as “0652642”) from, forexample, the Internet, a wide-area network (WAN), or local area network(LAN). The data collector 34 can access these sources via the network 64and server 62, for example. At step 80 c, the data collector 34 cangather a product serial number (shown in FIG. 2 as “1234567890”), whichin one embodiment is stored in a data storage unit 60. In oneembodiment, the data storage unit 60 is configured to receive and storeRFID tag related data such as through user input or from another source.

The data collector 34 then passes the RFID tag data to a data stringassembler 36 which, at step 82, concatenates the gathered data into asegmented string, or URI as shown in FIG. 3, which is in an RFID format.Several RFID formats are known, such as the Electronic Product Code(EPC) Global format, the ISO (International Organization forStandardization) format, Department of Defense (DOD) format, or otherRFID format known in the art. An RFID format generally dictates thenumber of components that comprise a valid URI, the specific rules forthe length and range of values of each component, and the correct orderor placement of these components in the URI.

In one embodiment, the RFID format is the Electronic Product Code (EPC)Global format, which can be further a first or second generation (“Gen1”, “Gen 2”) EPC URI, which include the 64-bit and 96-bit formats wellknown in the art. Further, the EPC URI can be of an identity type suchas a General Identifier (GID), Serialized Global Trade IdentificationNumber (SGTIN), Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC), Serialized GlobalLocation Number (SGLN), Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI),Global Individual Asset Identifier (GIAI). The exemplary embodiment of aURI, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is an SSCC URI and includes componentssuch as a header, which defines the overall length, identity type, andstructure of the URI encoding, as represented in FIG. 2 by“urn:epc:tag:sscc-96:”. An SSCC URI further includes a Filter Typecomponent (“6” in FIG. 2), a Company Prefix component (“0652642” in theexample of FIG. 2), and a Serial Reference component (“1234567890” inthe example of FIG. 2).

At step 84, the data string assembler 36 passes the segmented string (orURI) to the ValidateURI Method 42 of the RFID validator object 40 as aparameter for validation. At step 100, as shown in FIG. 3, theValidateURI Method 42 of the RFID validator object 40 receives the URIfrom the computer program. The ValidateURI Method 42 determines if thedata string assembler 36 assembled the string with the components in thecorrect placement for encoding and for validation (not shown). At step200, the ValidateURI Method validates the first component, or header, ofthe URI. This step can involve one or more sub-steps, as illustrated inFIG. 3. In one embodiment, at step 210, the ValidateURI Method 42determines if the header begins with “urn:epc.” If it does not, at step220 the RFID validator object 40 passes the URI back to the errormessage generator 37 which generates an invalid URI error message.Otherwise, at step 230, the ValidateURI Method 42 determines if the URIis of the “tag” type for encoding onto an RFID tag. If it is not, atstep 240, the RFID validator object 40 passes the URI back to the errormessage generator 37 which generates an invalid EPC URI type errormessage. Otherwise, at step 250, the ValidateURI Method 42 determines ifthe URI has valid EPC encoding to define the identity type and overalllength of the URI, as described above. If it does not, at step 260 theRFID validator object 40 passes the URI to the error message generator37 which generates an invalid encoding error message. In furtherembodiments of the present invention, the steps of the error messagegenerator 37 generating an invalidity error message (such as steps 220,240, and 260) further include the step of the error message generator 37generating an informative error message configured to indicate to a userthe nature of the error and how the user can correct the data.

If the RFID validator object 40 validated the header at step 200(including the sub-steps), at step 300, the ValidateURI Methoddetermines if the URI has the correct number of components for encoding.If the URI does not have the correct number of components, at step 310the RFID validator object 40 passes the URI to the error messagegenerator 37, which generates a specific error message indicating thatthe URI does not have the correct number of components for the encoding.In one embodiment of the present invention, the error message generator37 generates an informative error message indicating what the correctnumber of components would be. In a further embodiment, the errormessage generator 37 indicates which component or components aremissing.

At step 400, the method determines the validity of each component of theURI according to the specific rules regarding the length and range ofvalues of each component. At step 500, the ValidateURI Method 42determines if all of the URI components meet the validity standardsspecified by the RFID format, which is the EPC Global format in FIG. 3.At step 520, if each URI component meets the RFID standard, the RFIDvalidator object 40 passes the validated URI to the computer program 32and a message indicating that the URI is valid. In one embodiment, theRFID validator object 40 passes the validated URI to the encoder handler38 of the computer program 32. At step 86 (FIG. 2), the computer program32 receives the URI and the message indicating URI validity from theValidateURI method 42 of the RFID validator object 40.

At step 510, in another embodiment, if one or more URI component is notvalidated in compliance with the RFID format, the RFID validator object40 passes the invalidated URI to the computer program 32 with a messageindicating that the URI is not valid. In one embodiment, the RFIDvalidator object 40 passes the URI to the error message generator 37,which is configured to generate an error message indicating that the URIis not valid. At step 86 (FIG. 2), the computer program 32 receives theURI and the message indicating that the URI is not valid from theValidateURI method 42 of the RFID validator object 40.

As described above, at step 86 (FIG. 2), the computer program 32receives the segmented string (URI) from the RFID validator object 40and a message from the RFID validator object 40 indicating whether theURI is valid or not valid in compliance with an RFID format. At step 88,the computer program 32 determines if the URI is valid or not. If valid,at step 90, the computer program 32 generates a message indicating thatthe URI is valid. The computer program then passes this message to theprocessor 18 which displays the message at an output device 16 of thecomputing device 10. At step 92, the encoder handler 38 of the computerprogram 32 transmits the validated URI to the RFID encoder 52 of an RFIDprinter 50 for encoding into an RFID tag.

If, at step 88, the computer program 32 determines that the URI is notvalid, at step 94 the error message generator 37 of the computer program32 generates an error message indicating that one or more component ofthe URI is not valid. In one embodiment, the error message indicates thespecific error for each component that did not meet validationconditions. In a further embodiment, this error message is informativeto a user and provides the user with instructions to correct the error,or provides an example of a correctly formatted component, or providesother pertinent information to allow the user to correct the error. Inanother embodiment, at step 96, the processor 18 is configured toexecute the computer program 32 to retrieve additional or corrected RFIDtag data from a user. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the computerprogram passes the invalidated URI to a user and prompts the user at anoutput device 16 to correct the URI. The user can then input thecorrected RFID tag data via the input device 14, which provides thecorrected data to processor 18 which, at step 96, further transmits theURI to the computer program 32 which begins the validation method anew.

The informative error messages described above which are generated bythe error message generator 37 to be displayed to a user may come inseveral different forms, and generally indicate to a user the nature ofthe error and how a user can correct the error. For example, in oneembodiment at step 310, the informative error message indicates that theURI does not have the correct number of components for encoding andindicates the one or more component that is missing. In anotherembodiment, at step 510, if a component did not meet the validityrequirements of that component's specific rules regarding length andrange of values, the informative error message indicates the componentthat was not validated, the reason that the component was not validated,and indicates how a user can correct the component, such as by providingto the user the correct length required for the component and the rangeof values acceptable for that component. In a further embodiment, theinformative error message provides an example of a properly formattedcomponent in order for a user to further understand the nature of theerror and how to correct the error.

Alternative Embodiments

Although in the foregoing descriptions of RFID validation systems andmethods, the memory 30 is internal to the computing device 10 and isconfigured to store both the computer program 32 and the RFID validatorobject 40, other embodiments are possible. For example, in oneembodiment, a first computing device 10 has a memory 30 configured tostore a computer program 32, and a second computing device 70, externalto the first computing device 10 stores an RFID validator object 72which is executable by the processor to validate RFID tag data incompliance with an RFID format. In one embodiment, the transmission ofdata between the first computing device 10 and the second computingdevice 70 occurs via the network 64. In this embodiment, upon assemblingthe URI, the data string assembler 36 passes the URI to the ValidateURIMethod 74 of the RFID validator object 72 stored in the memory (notshown) of the external second computing device 74. If the ValidateURIMethod 74 of the RFID validator object 72 validates the URI, the RFIDvalidator object 72 passes the URI back to the processor 18, whichfurther transmits the URI to an RFID encoder 52 to write the URI intothe RFID tag.

In an alternative embodiment, the second computing device 70 isconfigured to store a second memory (not shown), which is furtherconfigured to store the computer program (not shown) and the RFIDvalidator object 72. The method would follow that as described above,with the additional steps of the processor 18 transmitting and receivingdata from the external computer program via the network 64.

All trademarks identified herein are the property of their respectiveowners. Reference to the trademark owners is made solely for purposes ofidentifying the source of various products or services offered by suchowners, and is in no way intended to trade upon or dilute good willassociated with the owners or their marks.

1. A system for validating radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagdata comprising: a computing device comprising one or more memorystorage areas and one or more processors, the one or more processorsconfigured to: receive RFID tag data and concatenate the RFID tag datainto a segmented string that comprises a plurality of data components;execute an RFID validator object, wherein to execute the RFID validatorobject, the one or more processors of the computing device are furtherconfigured to: pass the segmented string to the RFID validator object todetermine if the segmented string is in an RFID format, wherein the RFIDformat provides standards that define (a) the correct placement for eachof the plurality of data components in the segmented string, (b) thecorrect number of data components in the segmented string, and (c) rulesfor the length and range of values for each of the plurality of datacomponents; determine, in accordance with the RFID format, if theplurality of data components are in the correct placement; determine, inaccordance with the RFID format, if the segmented string has the correctnumber of data components; and determine, in accordance with the RFIDformat, if each data component is in compliance with the rules for thelength and range of values for the respective data components; and anRFID encoder connected to the computing device configured to: receivethe RFID tag data after being validated via the RFID validator object;and encode an RFID tag with the RFID tag data.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the RFID format is the Electronic Product Code (EPC) Globalformat.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors ofthe computing device are further configured to transmit the RFID tagdata to the RFID encoder for writing the RFID tag data into an RFID tagin response to the RFID validator object determining that the RFID tagdata is valid in accordance with the RFID format.
 4. The system of claim3, wherein the one or more processors of the computing device arefurther configured to: in response to the RFID validator objectdetermining that the RFID tag data is not valid in accordance with theRFID format, generate a message indicating one or more reasons that theRFID tag data is not valid; and cause display of the message via thecomputing device to prompt a user to correct the RFID tag data.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the computing device further comprises aninput device configured to receive a corrected segmented string from auser in response to the error message.
 6. A system for validatingradio-frequency identification (RFID) tag data comprising: a computingdevice comprising one or more memory storage areas and one or moreprocessors, the one or more processors configured to: receive RFID tagdata and concatenate the RFID tag data into a segmented string thatcomprises a plurality of data components; determine if the segmentedstring is in an RFID format, wherein the RFID format provides standardsthat define (a) the correct placement for each of the plurality of datacomponents in the segmented string, (b) the correct number of datacomponents in the segmented string, and (c) rules for the length andrange of values for each of the plurality of data components; determine,in accordance with the RFID format, if the plurality of data componentsare in the correct placement; determine, in accordance with the RFIDformat, if the segmented string has the correct number of datacomponents; and determine, in accordance with the RFID format, if eachdata component is in compliance with the rules for the length and rangeof values for the respective data components; and an RFID encoderconnected to the computing device configured to: receive the RFID tagdata after being validated; and encode an RFID tag with the RFID tagdata.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the RFID format is theElectronic Product Code (EPC) Global format.
 8. The system of claim 6,wherein the one or more processors of the computing device are furtherconfigured to transmit the RFID tag data to the RFID encoder for writingthe RFID tag data into an RFID tag in response to determining that theRFID tag data is valid in accordance with the RFID format.
 9. The systemof claim 8, wherein the one or more processors of the computing deviceare further configured to: in response to determining that the RFID tagdata is not valid in accordance with the RFID format, generate a messageindicating one or more reasons that the RFID tag data is not valid; andcause display of the message via the computing device to prompt a userto correct the RFID tag data.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein thecomputing device further comprises an input device configured to receivea corrected segmented string from a user in response to the errormessage.
 11. A method of validating data to be written into aradio-frequency identification (RFID) tag using a computing device andan RFID encoder, comprising the steps of: receiving, via a computingdevice, RFID tag data and concatenating the RFID tag data into asegmented string that comprises a plurality of data components;executing, via the computing device, an RFID validator object, whereinexecuting the RFID validator object further comprises: passing thesegmented string to the RFID validator object to determine if thesegmented string is in an RFID format, wherein the RFID format providesstandards that define (a) the correct placement for each of theplurality of data components in the segmented string, (b) the correctnumber of data components in the segmented string, and (c) rules for thelength and range of values for each of the plurality of data components;determining, in accordance with the RFID format, if the plurality ofdata components are in the correct placement; determining, in accordancewith the RFID format, if the segmented string has the correct number ofdata components; and determining, in accordance with the RFID format, ifeach data component is in compliance with the rules for the length andrange of values for the respective data components; receiving, via anRFID encoder, the RFID tag data after being validated via the RFIDvalidator object; and encoding, via the RFID encoder, an RFID tag withthe RFID tag data.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the RFID formatis the Electronic Product Code (EPC) Global format.
 13. The method ofclaim 11 further comprising transmitting the RFID tag data from thecomputing device to the RFID encoder in response to determining that theRFID tag data is valid in accordance with the RFID format.
 14. Themethod of claim 11 further comprising: generating, via the computingdevice, a message indicating one or more reasons that the RFID tag datais not valid in response to the RFID validator object determining thatthe RFID tag data is not valid in accordance with the RFID format; andcausing display of the message via the computing device to prompt a userto correct the RFID tag data.
 15. The method of claim 14 furthercomprising receiving a corrected segmented string from a user inresponse to the error message.
 16. The method of claim 14 furthercomprising re-executing the RFID validator object to determine if thecorrected segmented string is valid in accordance with the RFID format.17. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating a messageindicating one or more reasons that the RFID tag data is not validfurther comprises the sub-step of generating a specific error messagefor each component of the segmented string that is not valid.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the step of generating a specific errormessage for each component of the segmented string that is not validfurther comprises the sub-step of generating an informative messageindicating how a user can correct the specific error of each component.19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of transmitting the RFIDtag data to an RFID encoder for writing the RFID tag data into an RFIDtag further comprises the sub-step of generating a message indicatingthat the segmented string is correctly formatted.
 20. A method ofvalidating data to be written into a radio-frequency identification(RFID) tag using a computing device and an RFID encoder, comprising thesteps of: receiving, via a computing device, RFID tag data andconcatenating the RFID tag data into a segmented string that comprises aplurality of data components; determining, via the computing device, ifthe segmented string is in an RFID format, wherein the RFID formatprovides standards that define (a) the correct placement for each of theplurality of data components in the segmented string, (b) the correctnumber of data components in the segmented string, and (c) rules for thelength and range of values for each of the plurality of data components;determining, in accordance with the RFID format, if the plurality ofdata components are in the correct placement; determining, in accordancewith the RFID format, if the segmented string has the correct number ofdata components; and determining, in accordance with the RFID format, ifeach data component is in compliance with the rules for the length andrange of values for the respective data components; and receiving, viaan RFID encoder, the RFID tag data after being validated; and encoding,via the RFID encoder, an RFID tag with the RFID tag data.
 21. The methodof claim 20, wherein the RFID format is the Electronic Product Code(EPC) Global format.
 22. The method of claim 20 further comprisingtransmitting the RFID tag data from the computing device to the RFIDencoder in response to determining that the RFID tag data is valid inaccordance with the RFID format.
 23. The method of claim 20 furthercomprising: generating, via the computing device, a message indicatingone or more reasons that the RFID tag data is not valid in response todetermining that the RFID tag data is not valid in accordance with theRFID format; and causing display of the message via the computing deviceto prompt a user to correct the RFID tag data.
 24. The method of claim23 further comprising receiving a corrected segmented string from a userin response to the error message.
 25. The method of claim 24 furthercomprising determining, via the computing device, if the correctedsegmented string is the RFID format.
 26. The method of claim 23, whereinthe step of generating a message indicating one or more reasons that theRFID tag data is not valid further comprises the sub-step of generatinga specific error message for each component of the segmented string thatis not valid.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of generatinga specific error message for each component of the segmented string thatis not valid further comprises the sub-step of generating an informativemessage indicating how a user can correct the specific error of eachcomponent.
 28. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of transmittingthe RFID tag data to an RFID encoder for writing the RFID tag data intoan RFID tag further comprises the sub-step of generating a messageindicating that the segmented string is correctly formatted.
 29. Amethod of validating data to be written into a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) tag using a computing device and an RFID encoder,comprising the steps of: receiving, via a computing device, a segmentedstring that comprises a plurality of data components; executing, via thecomputing device, an RFID validator object, wherein executing the RFIDvalidator object further comprises: passing the segmented string to theRFID validator object to determine if the segmented string is in an RFIDformat, wherein the RFID format provides standards that define (a) thecorrect placement for each of the plurality of data components in thesegmented string, (b) the correct number of data components in thesegmented string, and (c) rules for the length and range of values foreach of the plurality of data components; determining, in accordancewith the RFID format, if the plurality of data components are in thecorrect placement; determining, in accordance with the RFID format, ifthe segmented string has the correct number of data components; anddetermining, in accordance with the RFID format, if each data componentis in compliance with the rules for the length and range of values forthe respective data components; receiving, via an RFID encoder, the RFIDtag data after being validated via the RFID validator object; andencoding, via the RFID encoder, an RFID tag with the RFID tag data. 30.The method of claim 29, wherein the RFID format is the ElectronicProduct Code (EPC) Global format.
 31. The method of claim 29 furthercomprising transmitting the RFID tag data from the computing device tothe RFID encoder in response to determining that the RFID tag data isvalid in accordance with the RFID format.
 32. The method of claim 29further comprising: generating, via the computing device, a messageindicating one or more reasons that the RFID tag data is not valid inresponse to the RFID validator object determining that the RFID tag datais not valid in accordance with the RFID format; and causing display ofthe message via the computing device to prompt a user to correct theRFID tag data.
 33. The method of claim 32 further comprising receiving acorrected segmented string from a user in response to the error message.34. The method of claim 32 further comprising re-executing the RFIDvalidator object to determine if the corrected segmented string is validin accordance with the RFID format.
 35. The method of claim 29, whereinthe step of generating a message indicating one or more reasons that theRFID tag data is not valid further comprises the sub-step of generatinga specific error message for each component of the segmented string thatis not valid.
 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of generatinga specific error message for each component of the segmented string thatis not valid further comprises the sub-step of generating an informativemessage indicating how a user can correct the specific error of eachcomponent.
 37. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of transmittingthe RFID tag data to an RFID encoder for writing the RFID tag data intoan RFID tag further comprises the sub-step of generating a messageindicating that the segmented string is correctly formatted.